


Pinocchio

by arcaneScribbler



Series: Player Count 8 + 2 [7]
Category: Homestuck, MS Paint Adventures
Genre: "Geppetto" from Cal's POV, Associated Colors Are IMPORTANT, Doomed Timelines, Everyone lives, Fix-It, Gen, Human Lil Cal, Hurt/Comfort, Mute Lil Cal, Post-Sburb, Strider Brothers, Strider Family, post-victory
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-14
Updated: 2014-04-14
Packaged: 2018-01-19 09:51:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,051
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1464967
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/arcaneScribbler/pseuds/arcaneScribbler
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <em>You have watched him grow from an infant to a man.</em>
  <br/>
  <em>You have watched him raise his own infant into a youth.</em>
  <br/>
  <em>You have watched him in a drowned world.</em>
  <br/>
  <em>You have watched him die.</em>
</p><p>In which a once-doomed puppet comes to life.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Pinocchio

**Author's Note:**

> This story technically takes place quite a bit further in PC8+2's timeline than The Fifth Noble. I actually wrote it last night on 4/13, but waited for today when I'd be rested to tackle the formatting and post it here on AO3. When there are more stories in the series, I will shift this one's position accordingly. Notes on what Cal's Title would be if he was a player at the bottom~.
> 
> Enjoy~!
> 
> EDIT: Cal apparently thinks in colors. ^.^; A bunch of editing and sprucing up later... Please tell me if the blue's too bright to read easily!  
> EDIT 2 (8/7/2014): Added that beginning part that I should've had in there since the beginning and fussed with the command arrows.

The VESSEL is nothing but LAUGHTER within a hollow shell, and it has been so for as long as the VESSEL has 'existed', dwelling within the bedchamber of the Knight of Time.

The Seer does not like this LAUGHTER, and so she sends the VESSEL away…

==>

Something about the child with ORANGE EYES calls to the VESSEL, and so it calls in turn.

The CHILD answers, crawling over to curl up, content, in the VESSEL'S lap.

Slowly, softly, the LAUGHTER begins to fade.

By the time they leave, sent to Earth aboard a meteor, the LAUGHTER is gone.

==>

Within the hollow VESSEL there is only silence—

No, not quite.

Echoing gently from deep within is the tiniest whisper of a voiceless lullaby…

==>

(your name is…)

(you do not have one. you do not need a name.)

(after all, you are just a puppet.)

("you" do not exist. (…so why…?))

(you are… just a puppet (just a puppet just a puppet just a puppet). a vessel for The Voice With Red Eyes. that is your "purpose.")

(you have no name. you need no name. but that one calls you…)

(you have watched over him for a long time. it is your "duty" while you await your "purpose." (he calls you by a name and brings you to "life" again and again and againagain _again_ (…this… not supposed to have happened… …you are… a puppet… just a… puppet… (…when did it begin to stick…? (…what… …what will happen when… …when  He… …takes it away…?) …supposed to be… just an act…!) you are a puppet you are a puppet you are a PUPPET) his presence has been doing something to you for so long so long SO LONG and you do not want it to stop (but it needs to stop MUST stop because The Voice With Red Eyes will take it anyway) you have watched him grow from an infant to a man. you have watched him raise his own infant into a youth. (the part of you that keeps CHANGING and GROWING has watched him in a drowned world but you will not look through its eyes (you will not will not WILL NOT let the "life" in only to lose it)))

(…y o u   h a v e   w a t c h e d   h i m    d i e …)

(and yet you have not. that has not happened yet.)

(you are waiting for him to return and pick you up (this will be the last day you spend with him before you lock yourself away to become the puppet with blind-dead eyes (before you fall into a fire (before The Voice With Red Eyes makes use of His vessel and you become nothing nothing NOTHING once again))).)

(the other one, the one he raised, picks you up instead (no no no NO this is not supposed to happen) and—)

**_SNAP._ **

==>

(—your connection to The Voice With Red Eyes is   G O N E   and you are becoming   E M P T Y   (what is this what is this you do not know what this is (…"pain"…?) what is this?!)—)

((…y…o…u…r… …n…a…m…e… …i…s…))

((…h…e… …g…a…v…e… …y…o…u…))

((…y…o…u…r… …"l…i…f…e"… …i…s… …e…n…d…i…n…g…))

==>

**(   " y o u "   d o   n o t   e x i s t .   )**

**(   " y o u "   h a v e   n o   " n a m e " .   )**

**(   y o u r   d e s i g n a t i o n   i s   " C a l s p r i t e " .   )**

==>

" y o u "    b e g i n    t o    L A U G H .

==>

**DAVE:** shut up  
**DAVE** : no  
**DAVE:** just  
**DAVE:** god damn it  
**DAVE:** please  
**DAVE:** just once  
**DAVE:** shut the hell up  
**DAVE:** shut up  
**DAVE:** shut  
**DAVE:** the  
**DAVE:** fuck  
**DAVE:** up

==>

(—angry eyes that are red but not Red ( _ o r a n g e   eyes that bring   " y o u "   to   " l i f e "  _) —)

—he   e n d s   the doomed timeline and the   l a u g h t e r   finally   s t o p s   —

====>

(…you… …are… …empty… ( _a v o i c e   c a l l i n g   y o u r   n a m e   _))

====>

(—there is a hole in the emptiness and it is growing—)

(—a hole in "nothing" is… what?—)

(—…it… …what…? …it is… …no… …that… …how…? …is it…?—)

(—…s…o…m…e…t…h…i…n…g…?—)

=====>

_b-bmp._

(…you remember… him… … **Dirk** …)

(…in both worlds…)

(…he made you… "live", for just a little while…)

=====>

_b-bmp._

(…your "existence" runs on borrowed Time…)

(…from The Voice With Red Eyes…)

(…but… you cannot feel Him anymore…)

=====>

_b-bmp._

(…you… are you… free…?)

(…He cannot… take it away from you…?)

(…you… are no longer a vessel…?)

=====>

_b-bmp._

(…if you are free, then…)

(…can you… "live"…?)

(…is this…?)

=====>

_b-bmp._

(…will you do it…? ...can you do it...?)

(...of... of course you can. of course you will.)

(you've kept him waiting long enough.)

=====>

_b-bmp._

—You—

—Reach—

—Out—

=====>

—For a moment, a dead puppet’s eyes fill with "life"—

=====>

**_B-BMP!_ **

((((for the first time — you stop fighting it — you let his Heart touch you — you feel yourself CHANGE))))

((((the Prince’s power reaches in and brushes the Void aside, weaving strands of Mind into the leftover threads of Doom, Time, and Sprite code to remake your battered, hole-filled "fabric" in its wake — and — finds — ))))

=====>

_A lonely, miserable, helpless little boy who should be just an empty puppet…_

=====>

"…Cal…?!"

(A far-away voice ignites the no-longer-emptiness waiting within you and Life ( _Life! you are…! you are **alive**!)_ rushes in.)

(You drift into something that must be "sleep", surrounded by warmth.)

=====>

Later, you wake up wrapped in your favorite pair of arms— _times two!_ — and meet an unfamiliar-familiar boy with eyes between their red and orange.

He holds out his fist. You bump it lightly with your own.

(A shared "secret" is passed in the gentle touch. He understands.)

((They were... They were waiting for you. They missed you. They are happy that you are here.))

_ Yes, even Dave. _

You do not laugh, but you do smile.

You also cry.

It makes no sound.

(That… makes you happy.)

**Author's Note:**

> If Cal had been a Player during SBURB, he would have been a Page of Rage. If Cal became a Player now, he would be an Heir of Life instead.
> 
> Becoming fully alive changed him a lot— before, he was “controlled by the emotions and desires of others in order to further his puppeteer’s goals through Rage.” Now, he has accepted and _become_ alive, much more so than he was before. He went from being something truly inanimate, a facsimile of life, and became something that _is_ alive.
> 
> I am working with the following Mythological Role theories. Heirs embody and are protected by their Aspect. Pages are insufficient in the dominant traits of or are burdened by their Aspect until maturing, at which point they become extremely powerful.
> 
> It's really weird that the Striders in my 'verse affected by Dirk all seem to be Heirs so far... :/ The Heir class _does_ suit both Hal and Cal, though, so I don't really want to change it.
> 
> Okay, I'm done rambling now. ^.^; Hope you enjoyed the fic!

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Geppetto](https://archiveofourown.org/works/2182113) by [arcaneScribbler](https://archiveofourown.org/users/arcaneScribbler/pseuds/arcaneScribbler)




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